Past the Final Cave
by Alaystus
Summary: An epilogue of sorts to the events that take place in Cave Story, featuring the adventures of Quote and Curly Brace, who are accompanied by none other than Balrog. Quote struggles with what he finds to be "human" actions and emotions, while discovering what he truly finds to be important. Needless to say, he's called to action once again. WARNING: Does contain spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"I know this place..." Quote looked around at his surroundings. He was in a cavern. A dark, small cavern. It was familiar.

He couldn't remember when or how he got here... All he knew was that something was familiar. He clambered up a steep rock wall, and found himself face-to-face with a door, which he promptly thrust open. He appeared to have walked into some sort of room, with a table, chair, and a chest in the back. He was still alone in the room. He walked over to the chest and opened it to inspect its contents. He reached in and removed a very familiar looking gun; a Polar Star. He held the gun in his hands for a minute, simply admiring the craftsmanship and handiwork of the weapon. After the moment had passed, he rose, and walked back to where the door had stood. However, to his surprise, there was no door- only an entryway, which he walked through.

Through the entryway was yet another small and dark cave. Water dripped from the ceiling and pooled in a recess in the floor of the cave. He turned around and noticed an energy capsule lying on the floor. He broke it open and collected the energy. After jumping down to the cavern floor, he ventured to the left, wading through water and hurtling the occasional obstacle. He found a heart capsule along the way and quickly installed the self-upgrade. He continued in his search for what he supposed was an exit. He found another energy capsule in a crate, which powered up the polar star to the max. 'This is all very mundane,' thought quote. 'And odd, too. I haven't met a single living being so far.' No sooner had he thought that, the door he was approaching opened its eye. Startled, Quote took a step back and blinked a few times before promptly shooting the possessed door. He walked through the empty doorway .

He was standing on sand, and when he looked around, he realized that this place was also familiar. Why couldn't he remember?

"Oh. It's you." Quote turned around to see a blonde female robot, who seemed to be addressing him. As if in response, she took a few steps towards him, stopping about two meters away. "I know why you're here. You're here to kill the mimigas, aren't you. That's all you've ever done."

Quote was baffled. He had no intention of harming any mimigas, and he had no idea as to what this android was referring to. He tried to deny her claims, but found he was unable to speak. They looked at each other for a while longer before the girl said, "Mimigas aren't your enemies, I am." With this, she produced a machine gun. "I'm going to kill you."

Before Quote could fail to respond, she began firing. Out of instinct, he jumped to the left - narrowly dodging the shots. He had no choice but to loose several rounds of his own on his assailant. One hit from that machine gun would probably obliterate him. Every time he landed a hit, he cringed. It felt wrong to shoot this robot, even though she was trying to kill him. He landed a shot to her chest, throwing her to the ground in a smoking heap. She didn't move. Quote approached her cautiously, and watched as she sat up. "You win... I can't fight anymore..." she sounded crushed, as if this fight was for her life. "I suppose you're going to kill me now..." Evidently, she thought it was.

Finally, Quote was able to produce a word. "No," he said. The girl looked up, confusion in her eyes. "You're not?" She studied him for a moment, before a look of guilt crossed her face. "O-oh... I hadn't realized! It... That fight was for nothing then, wasn't it..."

"Why would I ever want to fight you, Curly?" The words came from Quote's mouth, but he did not know their origin. However, as he said it, he understood. The robot in front of him was indeed Curly, Curly Brace. They were allies, they had fought together, quite valiantly, and he even thought they had saved a great many people... Who he was sure lived in these very caves.

Curly's voice broke his train of thought. "I... Don't think I can stand..." Quote looked down to her, and realized he couldn't leave her here.

"Wait here," he said, entering the one room of the Sand Zone Residence. He looked around for something to carry her with, anything. Something caught his eye. Hidden amongst some books, he found a familiar cord - the Tow Rope. He pocketed it, and proceeded to the door. Upon opening it, he was greeted by a wall of water.

He was underwater, in some dark place. He looked around and spotted curly, lying unconscious on some kind of metal structure. Quote panicked, rushing over to his friend as quickly as he could. He attached her body to his with the Tow rope, and made for the exit - another door opposite where he had entered. The other side of the door was dry, it seemed to be a cabin of sorts. He saw a bed, where he immediately set Curly down. She seemed to be flooded. Quote searched around the cabin for some sort of clue, anything really to help her. Text lit up the screen of a computer sitting across from the bed.

"You know, I always used to write everything down in that book over there..." Quote looked around for the book in reference when he spotted a shelf. Looking through it, he found an instruction manual on how to treat flooded robots. This was all so familiar to him, he was sure he had done this before. He returned to the bed, ready to drain Curly.

"Remove any garments worn by the robot before draining, as to keep them dry and ready for wear after the procedure." Quote knew this to be the first step, but... He felt some sort of aversion to this instruction... He shook it off. It's not as if either of them really _needed_ to wear clothes in the first place - it was only to appear more human. Actually, now that he thought about it... He dispelled the thought and proceeded. He removed her shoes, top, pants and... Curly appeared to be wearing panties. He removed them too. A plain, smooth robot laid in front of him.

"Next, space out each individual joint of the robot, as to drain the water most effectively. Each joint should separate about six to seven centimeters without risk of damaging anything." Quote went over her body, spacing out each joint, watching the water drain from her system. As the water dripped, her chest rose and fell... the most basic sign of life and operation... it was calming.

"Allow the robot to aerate for at least ten minutes. After this, it should be revived. Shortly after, allow it to reboot. Rebooting may take some time." He watched her body for around seven minutes, watching her pale skin rise and fall... The addition of hair and synthetic skin, even if it was pale, made them seem extremely lifelike... But the most humanlike quality was the ability to express emotion. They were capable of expressing any human emotion in existence and even feeling emotion, but always to an extent. They were in theory, however, incapable of losing a temper or becoming over-emotional... or experiencing love.

Quote decided to return Curly's clothes to her body. She seemed to be dry enough, only now taking time to awaken. He pressed the joints back together, and they clicked back into place. He quietly slipped on her panties, pants, top, and shoes. He felt as if he had forgotten something, though. Spotting a cord lying under her back, he realized he had never removed the Tow Rope from her body. Holding her up, he unclipped the Tow Rope, and put it aside.

However when he looked back to her, he found himself bending over her, holding her close to him. Her body seemed so small and frail now, contrary to the physical hardships she had endured. He wanted to shield her, protect her from harm... Silently, he brought her closer to him, and he kissed her forehead.

Curly's eyes fluttered. "... Quote?" Quote looked down at his revived friend, joy flowing through him. He smiled at her, and she returned it. Her arms reached up, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He knew she would never leave his side.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Quote's eyes snapped open. He blinked for a few seconds as the dream cleared from his head. He sat up and yawned, hopping off his bed. It had been about a month since he had escaped the floating island with Curly and Balrog, yet he still had dreams... He still remembered parts of his adventures through the island, some good, some bad. He wasn't quite sure what this dream meant, though. None of his dreams had felt so _real_ before... He wasn't previously aware that he was able to have lucid dreams. He decided to put it behind him.

As he walked past the computer screen in his room, the screen flickered on. It was displaying a simple platforming game he and Curly had made together. They had played it together many times. He smiled at the thought of the memories. Quote dropped from the overhang down to the first floor, walked past the fireplace and out the door. Warm sunlight greeted him as he stepped onto the grass outside. Off in the distance he could hear Curly and Balrog doing something.

After they had escaped, Curly had suggested they find a nice quiet spot to relax and live out the rest of their days. Balrog couldn't have chosen a better spot. They had settled in a flat plains that was far enough away from civilization to be peaceful and quiet, but close enough for convenience. The closest settlement was a small mimiga village about eight kilometers off. From time to time they would make a visit, usually just to walk around.

"Quote!" He turned his head to face this familiar voice. Curly greeted him with a hug. "You're finally up!"

"Huzzah!" Balrog greeted quote with his usual saying. "The morning we have here is quite nice!"

"We've been working on something," said Curly. "It's nearly finished too!"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Quote, laughing.

"You just gotta come see it!" She led him by his hand to the back of the house where to Quote's surprise he found a beautiful garden. There were flowers of all different kinds, saplings, vines, even fruits.

"How long have you guys been working on this?"

"Since the time the sun rose!" Balrog seemed very pleased with their work.

"We wanted it to be a surprise," said Curly, "So we didn't wake you up." She smiled and looked around. "Do you like it?"

Quote shook his head, smiling. "Curly, it's amazing! I just wish you'd woke me up sooner!"

"How come?"

"So I could help you, of course!" They all laughed, and proceeded to work on the garden, together.

It was around noon when Quote noticed a rather unusual flower. It was large and bright yellow, and he was fairly sure it hadn't been there just a bit ago. "Balrog must have put this here," he thought, as he reached down to grab it. However, as he did, the flower jumped up and bit his hand. He yelled out in surprise and almost immediately unholstered his Polar Star, blasting the assailant off his hand.

"What the heck's going on?!" Curly had run over at Quote's yell, and had watched the spectacle that had just taken place. Quote surveyed the area before holstering his weapon again.

"Something just - that flower just bit me." Quote again looked around for more like it before continuing. "Now that I think of it, it resembled a flower cub."

Curly was puzzled. "But... the flower cubs around here are usually docile... Why would it have attacked you?"

"It was probably scared!" Balrog walked up to his two friends. "They get violent, like cornered squirrels. It was probably attracted to the scent of these flowers."

"Hmm..." Curly wasn't quite sure about the logic here, but she knew that Balrog was wiser than both her and Quote. "Then, I guess for now, steer clear of any flower cubs you see in the garden." Quote nodded. He didn't want to harm the poor things if he didn't have to, they were usually quite peaceful. The three of them put the event behind them, and continued working on the garden. They laughed and worked for the rest of the day, with no further interruptions.

The next few days they relaxed and cared for the garden. At least three more flower cubs had also tried to attack them, and they'd spotted several pignons. Since their assailants couldn't do any real damage, they were of no real threat, but it increased Curly and Quote's suspicion. For Quote, he found it very hard to relax with the constant threat of a strife looming over his head. Despite Curly's constant attempts to soothe him, he couldn't put it past him. He was hard-wired for combat, and even the hint of danger put him on guard.

Quote began to have even more dreams and even flashbacks of the island... He knew something was wrong. Whether his friends chose to accept it or not, he was sure of it. Something was invading their paradise.

* * *

_Notes From the Author;_

I'd began this story by using Cave Editor* to mod the original game. Having only an _extremely _basic understanding of java, I was a bit lost at first. (Not to say I didn't get it eventually.) The idea of using Cave Editor to create my own version of Cave Story intrigued me, and I was very excited to create my own, "Epilogue Story," if you will. However, I got to a point where I realized I needed to write it down - I needed a script of sorts. So, I decided to write it out in novel format. I wanted to get this out into the public to see what people would think. I want to decide if it is worth continuing or not. If I see that it is, then I will create an update schedule and begin writing ASAP. So, to be clear, feedback would be greatly appreciated.

One of my plans for the story is to implement Quote x Curly, (Yes, yes, I know, I just couldn't help it,) which will in turn help Quote grow and discover more about himself. HOWEVER, when the mod is completed, a path will be available where a relationship with Curly is NOT required. Because not all 'yall want that jazz. And that's okay. ALSO there will be a path in the mod where it is possible to become intimate with Balrog, rather than Curly. This was requested by a close friend/colleague. So if you want that, I'm working on it too. (I'm thinking about making a side-story in which I write out the script for this as well.)

So in the end, if you liked what you just read, let me know. If you did not like something, tell me about it. But please don't yell, I have sensitive ears. Thank you in advance.

_Sincerely,  
Alaystus_

*Cave Editor is an application included in the Cave Story Premium freeware download that allows you to edit the game. It is a visual and code editor, and is very cool.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A week had passed since the first unfriendly encounter with a flower cub. The small confrontations became the norm; flower cubs were to be shot on-site or avoided entirely. Some pignons had popped up here and there, but for the most part left the three alone. The air was still clear, the skies still sunny, and despite the occasional minor strife, everything was fairly normal. Until Balrog got bored, that is.

He voiced his concerns to his friends one day in the garden, which they had resolved to put a fence around. "What do you mean, you're bored?" Curly was very confused. Their current lifestyle of lazing about in the sun, tending to flowers and using tiny hostiles as target practice pleased her greatly.

"I mean, there's nothing going on here!" Balrog seemed to pout a bit. "After I was freed from the Crown's rule, I was looking forward to a life of excitement and adventure!" Balrog looked up and off into the distance, puffing out his figure as best he could. "Tending to flowers and basking in warmth is satisfying on a normal day, but today," at this, he looked back to his friends. "Today is different! We shall go on a trek! A quest!" Balrog's eyes sparkled with excitement. "We shall find grand treasures and wonderful sights! Does it not sound glorious?"

Curly thought for a minute before replying. "Well," she did like the sound of a walk, a hike, something... She supposed this could do. "Okay! Today, we go on an adventure! We will set off now while the sun is still low, and spend the night in the outdoors!" Quote nodded. He was excited too, and found this idea to be a quite spectacular one. "When the sun rises tomorrow, we'll head back home."

Balrog was ecstatic. "Huzzah!" He had secretly been longing for something like this for some time now, and was thrilled and simply overjoyed to hear his plans come to light.

"Where should we go to first?" Quote asked.

"I was thinking we would head towards the mimiga village first," said Curly. "Maybe they know the land a bit better, and can give us some hiking tips!" Quote nodded, the plan was solid.

"Let's be off then!" Balrog jumped up into the air, and began to fly about, indirectly making his way towards the mimiga village. The two androids could hear him singing pleasant tunes in the air. Quote chuckled and began to walk towards the village himself. As he walked, he felt someone grab hold of his hand. He turned to see Curly, smiling, and he smiled back. They walked together, hand-in-hand towards the mimiga village, only occasionally shooting a rogue pignon.

"There it is!" Curly exclaimed as the mimiga village came into sight. She let go of Quote's hand and rushed towards the settlement. She stopped after a bit, realizing Quote wasn't running with her. Turning around and running back to him, Curly grabbed his hand once more. "Come on!" She pulled him forward with a force that could dislocate a human's arm. Luckily, his joints were reinforced, several times stronger than said human's arm. They laughed as they ran together towards the village.

As they neared the establishments, some of the villagers spotted them and waved; the locals had grown very fond of their new and exciting neighbors, and loved it when they paid them a visit. On the surface, the town seemed to be extremely small, but this was not so. What laid on the surface was really only that - the surface. In the center of the town was a structure that vaguely resembled a well, yet upon closer inspection was really a staircase down into the rest of the village, which was underground.

This was a feature unique to mimiga settlements, as they preferred burrowing in the earth to sprawling villages and cities. One mimiga alone would build a house upon the earth, as any normal man would do. However, when two, three, four mimigas join the first in the same general area, the site becomes a village, and the mimigas begin building - not up, not out, but down. As the village becomes bigger, the network of caves and tunnels sprawl out and it becomes a town, then a city, until the cave system becomes much too big and complicated to navigate. At this point, much of the outer caves become abandoned and are usually taken up as mines or oil wells by humans. The mimigas who previously lived in these caves would then branch out and start their own settlements. It was a way of life amongst the mimigas, dating back as long as anyone could remember.

Quote remembered when he first visited the village. The vast cave system amazed him, but did not surprise him at all. He'd already spent some ten years in a cave himself. He had spoken to the elder of the village, introducing himself and his friends, as well as telling her their story. The elder was awed at the courage and integrity of the heroes, and in return she relayed to him the vast history and ancient ways of the mimigas. The entire encounter lasted about an hour, and needless to say, Balrog became bored halfway through, deciding to explore the rest of the village rather than stay and listen to the elder ramble on. That had probably been one of his better ideas, as the rest of the history lesson had nearly put Quote and Curly to sleep.

These were the memories that Quote enjoyed. He thought of them very fondly, trying to remember them over those of his experiences on the floating island. These were the times that made him smile, which he did so as he entered the village.

* * *

_Notes From the Author:_

It seems I've created something at least worthwhile to continue, so I've decided to do so! I hope you've enjoyed chapter two, even if not much happened in it. I'm not quite sure if my ideas on mimiga settlements are really accurate, but I thought that would be an interesting thing to put into the story. (Also, the map for the Mimiga Village in the game is long vertically, so I had to think of something that made sense and that gave me space to make a village!) I had originally said I'd be updating Saturday-ish, which I still plan on doing! I just came out with chapter two a bit early. So expect chapter 3 tomorrow! (Long weekends are wonderful for writing, let me tell you.) That's about all for today, but be sure to check back soon for an update. Speaking of which, I'm planning on having the next one on around Wednesday. (After the one on Saturday.) Again, thank you for reading, and do enjoy your weekend.

_Sincerely, Alaystus_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The elder smiled as quote entered her chamber. "Ahh, young Quote, and Curly. What a pleasant surprise! To what may I owe this occasion?" Quote and Curly sat down on some pillows in front of the elder. As soon as they had set foot inside the village, Balrog crashed down to the earth in front of them, exclaiming, "Huzzah!" Then, no sooner had they finished telling him that the two planned to speak to the elder about knowledge of the area, had a sour look crossed his face, and he took off again. It had almost seemed his metallic front had gone a bit pale, but it may have been the reflection of the sun.

"We're on an adventure," Curly explained. "And we were wondering if you knew a bit more about the area, so we don't get lost. After Quote had left the floating island, his map system did not seem to work as well. Since everything was mostly flat out in the open, it was hard to tell anything from anything else. He assumed it was mainly meant for cave navigation.

The elder smiled and nodded. "Well, you have wisdom in coming to me." She got up, and began walking towards a jar full of scrolls. "I've been wandering these lands since before you were built, I'd imagine." She looked through the various different pieces of parchment until she found the one she was looking for. Returning to her chair, she unrolled it.

The inside was completely covered in dust, which the elder blew off. Wiping away any traces, she pushed forward what appeared to be an ancient map. Quote and Curly leaned in to get a closer look. Despite the absence of their house, it seemed that the map was still somewhat accurate, at least, from the bit of the area they'd already seen. "This is a map I had made seven years ago. It should still be fairly relevant." She traced a line with her paw from what looked like the town towards what appeared to be a hilly area.

"From town to here is about four hours on foot. It is a rocky area speckled with caves. The townsfolk have tried to avoid this area, since the terrain is a bit dangerous, and strange noises have been heard from inside the caves." Quote and Curly looked to each other. This sounded quite exciting, but if it was dangerous, they weren't sure how strong an opponent they could take on.

"That sounds fun," said Curly, "But maybe a bit too dangerous. The old mimiga nodded, and traced a line to another point on the map.

"Over to the west is the beginning of the forest. Most of the plains are surrounded by it. It is about an hour from the caves, three and a half from town." She traced an arc through the forest to the southern end of the map. "Walking through the forest will give you a good feel of the area, and from where it starts to down here, it is more or less a half a day's walk." Quote nodded. It seemed as if they had a plan forming. The elder tapped an open area at the bottom of the map. "The forest ends at a sandy place... dunes I think? Yes, well, going south through the dunes, you'll end up at a large beach. No-one knows how far out the water goes, but the beach is fairly long and faces the west, which, if you can get there in time, will have a beautiful sunset."

Curly giggled. "You sound like you could be a travel agent!"

The elder looked up. "What's that?" Curly shook her head.

"Oh, nothing." She looked over the map one last time before nodding. "That sounds like a wonderful plan! I really like the sunset part!"

The old woman smiled. "Yes, the sunsets are quite the sight. I remember when I was a bit younger, a dashing young man took me out on a date there... I can still remember how his wind-swept fur almost glowed from the setting sun..." She seemed to be trailing off again, which both Quote and Curly knew was their cue to leave as soon as possible.

Quote stood up, stretching a bit. "Well, thank you for the guidance!"

Curly quickly stood as well. "Yea, I think we know a bit more now about where we should go!"

"Oh, really?" said the elder, quite pleased. "Well, I'm happy to hear it! Oh, goodness, I recall when I first went on a few adventures, I was no bigger than a..." Quote and Curly exited the elder's room. She seemed to continue talking to herself.

Back on the surface, there was a bit of a commotion going on. Most of the mimigas were looking up at something, children were running around, laughing. Before Quote had time to look up, Balrog crashed down from the sky in front of them. "There you are! I've been waiting for you!"

"Aww, how nice!" Curly smiled at Balrog. "We've decided on where we should go!"

"Really?" Balrog was interested. "Which way are we headed?" Curly pointed north towards the distant rocky hills. "First, we're heading that way!"

"Huzzah!" Balrog flew into the air once more, but came back down shortly. "Oh, I'll meet you there!" At this, he jumped back into the air a final time, and began flying towards their destination. Curly laughed.

"He's so full of energy," she said, shaking her head. She grabbed Quote's hand again, tugging him along. "Come on, let's get going! We have a whole day ahead of us!" Quote found himself once again stumbling after his friend, laughing and holding hands. It was a good feeling, and he was sure the day would be an exciting one. He looked back and waved goodbye to a few villagers and pressed forward.

* * *

_Notes From the Author;_

Hello, again! As you may have noticed, I did not update on Saturday. Or Wednesday. Haha. Ha. After I said I'd update on Saturday, I pretty much realized that wasn't going to happen. And since then, I've been REALLY busy with other things... I have school and all. But I hope this chapter is better late than never! And I will try to stick to an update schedule of Wednesday and Saturday. I will make sure that I get the next chapter in on time! As always, thank you for your guys' continued support, and I will see you on Saturday!

_Sincerely,  
Alaystus_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The sun was still low in the sky when they reached the rocky cave area. Curly had insisted they at least check it out, despite Quote's concerns. Balrog was entertaining himself by smashing small boulders. Quote had his gun drawn and was scanning the area for danger of any kind as he kept hold of Curly's hand. Curly, however, was intreigued at the many cave mouths and rocky boulders.

"Loosen up, Quote!" She tugged his arm, playfully. Quote smiled, but quickly went back to being a sentry. Curly shook her head. "This is supposed to be fun! You can relax a bit." Quote looked to her.

"I know you're really enjoying this, and I want you to have fun... I'd really like to have fun with you as well, but..." He looked away. "I don't want you to get hurt." Curly's gaze softened for a few seconds before she snickered.

"You want to... have _fun_ with me?" Quote's head snapped back to face Curly, and he began to blush. He wasn't even aware that he was physically able to blush. Nor was he aware that Curly could understand something like that. He hadn't even thought about it that way. But... now that he did...

"W-what?! No! I mean- Why would-" Quote blinked. He reset his emotions to calm, and continued to speak. "No, of course not, Curly. I would not be able to facilitate such feelings in a situation like that." He had responded how his programming had dictated, but... something itched inside his core... he wasn't sure what, but he could swear it was... a feeling of some sort. His train of thought was broken by Curly.

"Sticking to the programming, as usual." She shook her head. "I don't know why you can't handle emotions." This agitated Quote a bit.

"I can handle emotions. When they begin to take over, I reset them, and-"

"No, no, no! See, you're doing it all wrong! You have to let the emotions take over, ditch the codes!"

"We're not humans, Curly." At this, she stopped.

"... You're right. We're not humans." She looked away. "But that doesn't mean we can't act like them." Quote said nothing. He knew they were supposed to appear and, to an extent, act like them. But they could never actually _be _humans. If he were to completely accept his emotions, to discard his hardwiring... Could he even disobey his hardwiring? He needed to ponder this, but he didn't have the time...

Quote and Curly heard a squeal from behind them, followed by a crushing sound and a large thump. They turned to see Balrog, smiling at them. "Huzzah! You two really should be more careful!"

Curly went back to her normal self. "Hello, Balrog!"

"Hello indeed! I just saved you two from a critter! It was going to ambush you while you were conversing. But it was not fast enough, no no!" Balrog looked pleased that he was able to help his friends, and was completely oblivious to the current tension. All he really knew was that he had two friends which he cared about very much. Balrog never dwelled on emotions, they just happened. He had always been this way; he was never meant to seem human, rather, he was meant to seem alive.

In the grand scheme of the world, humans were a relatively new species to inhabit the planet. Before them, many races resided upon the earth as some still do, such as the mimigas. Mimigas evolved and developed several million years before the great ancestors of humans crawled out of the ocean. Or fell from the sky. No-one really knows how they got there. The point is, Balrog wasn't meant to seem "human" in the way Quote and Curly were. Balrog was his own entity, with nothing to base his stature from. Balrog was merely Balrog, and he was fine with that.

"Maybe we should head towards the forest," said Curly. Quote nodded, hoping to leave their conflict behind in this rocky place. He still held onto Curly's hand, and she to his. Quote was unsure as to why she still held his hand, as he was sure she was annoyed with him, yet she continued to hold his hand.

* * *

Honestly, Curly wasn't really annoyed with Quote - she was worried for him. Sometimes she saw in him a spark of what seemed to be personality, something trying to break through his rough exterior of code and protocols. But he almost always choked it back down and locked it up again. Having spent ten years with the colons, she learned how to express herself. She learned what it really meant to be alive, to have feelings, to care for another being. Over the years, Curly felt as if she had shed her old rigid code-driven self, and had been born anew - she felt as if she had become something more. An individual, a being, something with a free soul. She saw a soul in Quote as well. Only rarely, but she did.

Curly pulled Quote into the woods, and they walked together under the canopy. They could both hear Balrog following behind them, softly singing or humming a tune. He seemed to be enjoying every minute of this adventure. Curly was starting to lighten up again as well. Quote, on the other hand, was once again a stone-cold sentry. "You really are overprotective," said Curly. Quote turned to her, confused. "You worry way too much. You'll blow a fuse if you don't relax every once and a while."

"But I'm supposed to be this alert at all times," said Quote. Curly sighed. She wasn't sure if he would ever understand what it really meant to be alive. Heck, at this point, she wasn't even quite sure if he was even alive at all. He had his moments, but…

"I wonder what the sunset will look like," Said Quote, breaking the silence.

"What?" Curly turned to him.

"I wonder what the sunset will look like. On the water, I mean."

"Well," a smile formed on Curly's face. "I guess we'll have to find out!" She tugged him along, moving a bit faster. She really hoped they could make it in time, and even though they were ahead of schedule so far, she didn't know if they'd make it. If worst came to worst she supposed Balrog could fly them there, but she preferred to walk. Either way, she wanted to see the sunset… She wanted to see it with Quote.

* * *

_Notes From the Author;_

Heeyyyyy... Yea. Um. I don't really have an excuse this time. At all.

I've decided I am really a lot more busy than I had thought to begin with. You know, with being in school and all. And writing 1000+ words every three days is not in my best interests. I do not want to set another due date and then blow that off, but I feel as if I should at least have something. I also feel as if I keep making the days on which I will update farther and farther apart. But I have no choice.

I will update on Mondays.  
I think.  
Hopefully.  
That way I have the whole week and then the whole weekend to work on the chapter. I am going to do my best to get a buffer so I am not missing deadlines or working constantly. But in the meantime, here's a page! The pages keep coming out shorter and shorter, and I really don't like that, and I'm trying to fit more per page, but it's difficult! Anyway, this is what I have so far. So you guys don't get bored, I have a link to my Tumblr on my profile where I will post some chiptunes I made with Cave Story's ORG maker. If that's possible. I hope it is. If not, Ill post a bunch of Cave Story fanart that I drew a while ago. Or both. Or, you know, whatever. I'm only trying to buy time here.

So, in essence, I need to get my butt into gear and put my fingers to the keys. Expect a new page monday, because I am. And if I don't have one... er... I'll post something. So thanks to all you who keep reading, and thank you to all you who just started. I'm happy there are people who enjoy my work as much as I do. Feedback is still appriciated. Even if you want to yell at me for not updating. But ONLY if I'm past the deadline. Only then. Anyway, the holidays are coming up, and I hope you all are having a great time.

_Sincerely,  
Alaystus_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

They were making good time as they wove their way through the forest. It wasn't the shortest route to the dunes, but it was definitely the more scenic route. The elder's estimate on how long it would take them to navigate through the forest was a bit off, as Quote and Curly did not have to stop for breaks, and could handle the terrain better than any mimiga. She still held onto his hand like a lifeline, but Quote didn't mind. In fact, he kind of liked it. He felt more... safe, holding her hand, or like he could protect her. Or maybe it wasn't that... he wasn't quite sure what he felt. He'd run a diagnostics check later.

Balrog could still be heard behind them, humming an old tune or occasionally breaking boulders and exclaiming, "Huzzah!" Quote still wasn't sure if he should treat Balrog as a child or as an adult... He showed characteristics of both, and it confused him. Really, the only way he could treat Balrog was... well, like Balrog. He was his own individual, Quote had never met anyone else like him. Like Curly... Quote wondered about his own individuality. Was he the only model of his version? He thought about this for a long while. Even if there were other models of Curly's version, Quote believed that the Curly he knew would still somehow be... different, individual. Maybe this had to do with the time she spent raising those children, and fighting her way through the island...

Quote and Curly hopped over a fallen tree and made their way around a thorn bush, and ended up at the tip of a steep ledge. Curly was about to slide down, when she noticed something a few meters from the summit. She raised up a hand, and whispered, "Hold up!" Quote got low and looked over the lip. There was a tall, dark figure, wearing a dark-brown trench coat. It appeared to be wearing gloves and a wide-brimmed hat, no skin was visible through the shadows. Through all of their time here, neither Quote or Curly had seen such a figure, and they were intrigued.

Quote spoke in a hushed tone, "Do you think it's human?"

"I can't tell," whispered Curly. "I wonder what it's doing here..." The figure just seemed to be looking around, its hands in its pockets. Occasionally, it would take out a notepad and scribble a few things down.

Suddenly, Quote and Curly heard a booming, "Huzzah!" as Balrog thumped down behind them. "What are we looking at?" The figure turned to them, and Quote heard Curly gasp as two glowing red eyes became visible behind a pair of goggles. This couldn't be human. Quote reached his hand down to unholster his gun, but before he had the chance, the figure vanished, as if it had teleported. They looked around for a moment, trying to see where it went, but it was no use. The figure was gone.

Curly turned around. "Balrog!" She was annoyed. "We were trying to be _quiet_!" Balrog looked down.

"Oh... I didn't know..." He seemed quite sorry. Curly sighed.

"It's fine... Maybe we'll see that thing again..."

"Whatever it is," said Quote, "It's gone now. If we do happen to see it again, be on your guard." Curly rolled your eyes.

"See, that's what I mean! Always so _protective_!" She shoved his shoulder, playfully. "Loosen up, tinpot!"

"... 'Tinpot'?" Quote raised an eyebrow.

"Always acting like a big old robot. We're _androids_. You have emotions, use 'em!" She smiled.

Quote opened his mouth to say something back, about how that was a dumb idea, that they needed to be careful out here, that there could be danger, or something. Something. There was always something. He felt... tired of that constant pressure. He finally felt what Curly was talking about. He was _tired_. He did want to just experience the world around him. "... Alright." But at the same time... he knew that something was up. He'd felt it ever since the encounter with the flower cub. Maybe it was just his programming, maybe it was paranoia. But then again, maybe it wasn't. He looked into Curly's eyes. "... At this rate, we won't get to the beach 'til dusk!"

Curly's eyes got wide. "Oh, gosh, yea! We gotta get moving!" She pulled Quote, and they slid down the ledge together. "Let's go, slowpoke!" Quote smiled as he followed along, chuckling. Maybe, just maybe emotions were a luxury he could finally afford...

* * *

When they finally arrived at the dunes, the sun was fast approaching the horizon. Quote and Curly moved as fast as they could over the dunes. Despite their ability to maneuver around terrain easier, they could only go so fast. Quote began to regret selling the Booster. They climbed to the top of a particularly tall dune, and saw the beach in the distance. The sky was orange, and the sun was large and approaching the water. Only one last dune to climb, and they would be there. Curly smiled wide. "We made it!"

Quote looked onto the sunset in awe. He'd never actually seen a sunset before; the sun had always just disappeared behind the tree line. But now that he could really see the whole sun, in all its glory, he was stunned. "Come on," said Curly, once again pulling him down a hill. They raced down the dune, then climbed over the last one, laughing as they ran towards the beach. They stood about a meter from the water, watching the sunset hand-in-hand. Balrog was a ways away on top of a dune. He was preparing to make his trademark entrance, when he stopped and looked down onto his friends. Something about them... there was something about them that made him smile. It seemed like they were getting along a lot better than they were at the beginning of the trip. They seemed happy. Balrog decided just to walk down to his friends for once.

"Isn't it pretty?" Curly looked on in amazement. She also had never seen a true sunset.

"It's beautiful," said Quote. He turned to Curly, who still looked on. "It's absolutely beautiful. He blinked. He wasn't exactly sure why he said that a second time. Nor was he completely sure if he was still talking solely about the sunset. He did not know what this meant.

Curly looked to him and smiled. "Let's lie down." Quote nodded, and they laid themselves down onto the sand, watching the sun as it touched the water, and sank underneath the surface. "I want to stay like this for a long time."

A while later, Quote was lying down on the sand. Balrog was asleep behind him, and Curly had fallen asleep on his chest. When she had begun to fall asleep, she got closer to him and had laid her head on his chest. He assumed she felt safer with closer proximity. He felt this as well... He thought. He remembered that he was going to run a diagnostics check, which he authorized. He swept his system for any abnormalities, and found none. All systems were normal and intact. He hadn't believed anything was really _wrong_ with him, he just wanted to know what new emotions he was experiencing. Unfortunately, the diagnostics check could not tell him that. He sighed. He supposed it was a part of... life... Yes, a part of life. A life he was living. He smiled. Even androids, he thought, were alive. With that thought, he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

_Notes from the Author;_

Hello, viewers. As you all know, I haven't updated in nearly an eternity. And trust me, I feel bad about it. I'm trying to keep motivation and make time to do it, and I've decided I kind of _need _to do it, or I'll let you all down. But that's the thing. As soon as this becomes something I _need_ to do, it becomes work. And god I hate work. It starts to feel less like a hobby and more like a job. And I hate that. -Sigh- I'll do my best not to be on hiatus for this long again. But no promises. I'll post _something_ on Monday, so keep in touch. Also, as I said, I'll give a link to my Tumblr, and I'll even post a few more fan pictures. I have to make one for this newest chapter, but I have some others I can post. As always, support is greatly appreciated, whether it be in the form of a review or a like or whatever. I'm glad that so many of you actually like what I'm doing. I wish I still had the same enthusiasm!

_Sincerely,  
Alaystus_


End file.
